Safe Day to Change Was Born

I was not a shy kid growing up. I was confident and enthusiastic about life; and loved dancing, performing, and being the center of attention. Passionate about life, I also loved helping others, especially those in need. I used to go door to door every year to collect whatever I could for donation drives and charity events at school or church, and volunteered to visit clinics, asylums, and foster care facilities simply to feed the people, hug the children, and hand out presents to the less fortunate.

I loved acting, dancing, writing poetry, and competing in the mathematics championships at school. In my first year in high school, I was placed second in my class and third in my school. I also loved teaching and frequently tutored other students. But one day, I got my life turned upside down and my dreams got crushed when my parents packed their bags and moved to a new country where I did not know anyone.

Born and raised in the city of Goiania, in the middle of Brasil, I thought of my life as close to perfect as I could imagine. I was a dancer, actress, and a great student. I was happy, feeling wealthy and good... until I was 16 and both of my parents lost their jobs and felt forced to leave the country.

My confidence and vitality were frozen the minute I landed in California, struggling to communicate, make friends, get good grades, and feel happy anywhere I went. I managed to learn English, graduate with a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering, find some “angels” in the process, and enter the corporate world; but I still struggled. Inside me, I wished life was completely different.

While traveling in the summer of 2019, I read a book called "Educated" by Tara Westover that changed my life forever. I learned in that book that I was a people-pleaser, a racist, and ignorant about the world; and felt challenged by Tara's discoveries while educating herself. I learned that it was okay not to follow a certain cultural standard or to disagree with your family, religion, or cultural norms; and that I did not need to continue to conform to the ways I was living my life just to make other people happy. I read and found "Untamed" by Glennon Doyle, and learned that it is perfectly okay (and quite necessary) to live your truth... and that I was a goddamn cheetah!

I read a few more books and literature, spoke with a few therapists and coaches; and was able to undo me and regain my confidence and vitality. I realized that I had lost trust in everything and everyone, including myself; and that the only way to find ME was to trust again. My journey to unbecoming who I became as an immigrant is what led me to this committed to help others. All of sudden I believed again.

I went from playing it safe to safely free; and trusted myself enough to welcome the process of changing. I quit religion, racism, limiting beliefs, and negativity; and gained friends, coaching skills, and freedom.

I learned that everyday is a safe day to change.